Society

Google seeks to resume Street View in Macao

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-11 15:42

MACAO - Internet giant Google has sent a letter to the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, asking to be allowed to recommence the images collecting activities in the SAR for its Street View services, the Macao Post Daily reported on Wednesday.

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The daily quoted a spokesman from the SAR's Personal Data Protection Office as saying that Google has asked to resumed the operation "some time this year" for a 46-week period, to which the SAR government is still not willing to give the green light, given an ongoing investigation into the activities' alleged privacy breach.

Being an additional online service to the Google maps, the ambitious project allows users to see 360 degree views of a street with just a click on the maps. However, the project was also dogged by doubts of privacy infringement and Google has issued a public apology in May this year, admitting that the data collecting cars it used to scan the streets in various cities of the world accidentally received private data.

Google's controversial Street View program has prompted governments worldwide to launch investigation into its image collecting operation.

For the time being, the Street View services only cover areas in the city center of Macao and the southern tip of the Macao Peninsula.

The Personal Data Protection Office carried out investigation into Google's activities after similar moves were adopted by neighboring Hong Kong authorities earlier this year.

If Google is to be allowed back into Macao, they will have to ensure they follow relevant privacy laws, including legislation that requires anyone wishing to take personal data of any Macao citizens outside Macao's borders to make a formal request to the Personal Data Protection Office, said the spokesman of the Office.